Super Smash Brothers: Nintendo's Mystery Mixup
by Digi-Dolphin
Summary: Sequel to The Battle For Nintendo. Now that the Game Realm is advancing and the threat of Master Hand is gone, things should be fine and dandy, right? WRONG! What is causing Nintendo's games to fail? Who would betray the system?I like Windwaker! Honest!
1. It Starts

Super Smash Brothers:

Nintendo's Mystery Mix-Up

Prologue

Since the battle to save Humanity and Games, many changes took place in the Game Realm. The Sega Corporation of the Human World bowed out of console making, forcing their Game Realm counterpart to lose its status as a super power. Quickly moving in to take its place was Microsoft and its X-Box. Though young and new to the world, already it was proving a formidable force to the characters in the land. Sega's cherished characters began to create new variations of themselves for the other systems. The mascots chose to give the bulk of themselves to Nintendo, trusting in its power to support them as their own Sega Power began to dwindle in strength.

The GameCube launch was soon approaching and talk turned to the lineup of games that would fly alongside it, along with the titles that would form the Holy Trinity of Nintendo once they were completed.

However, the peace that many thought existed was about to be broken....

Someone crept into the Master Control Center of the Nintendo base computer. The computers within those walls maintained everything about each game Nintendo has under its name, from titles, to colors, to genres, to items and equipment unique to each game. This someone sneaked past the security field, slipped by the defenses and entered the room.

Computers made soft beeping sounds and lit the room with the glow of all the thousands of blinking lights. The person stood in the midst of it all, studying a slip of paper, then looking up at one computer. Finally, the person smiled and made a few changes in the computer. It beeped, signalling it accepted the changes. The someone stepped back from it, smiled again, and hurried off, not noticing the slip of paper left behind by accident.

Someone sneaked past the defenses, slipped by the security field and made it out of the area, leaving no one the wiser of what had just happened. No one would know what happened, no one will notice the change until the next day. Someone is out to get Nintendo and has completed the first step. The person escaped quickly and easily. No one noticed this person in the halls as the clever sneak made it back to its origin. What will happen to Nintendo now? What has the someone done to them?

And why has the someone done it? Most importantly, who is the Someone?

* * *

Chapter One

"Aaarrgh!" N64 MegaMan shrieked the next morning, "My Buster Parts are gone! Where are they?!" Everyone in the base computer cafeteria looked up from their usual routine activities and stared at the blue boy who raced in, screaming. "My Buster Parts! They're all gone!" he wailed, "Who took my Buster Parts?!"

"Nobody! Who'd want parts for a bio-android?" N64 Fox yelled back, "Now shut up over there! I'm losing a chess match to Wolf!" MegaMan raced up to Allstar Mario, who sat with a couple of other Marios and the two Links that were currently heading the two consoles, the N64 and the Game Boy Advance.

"My Buster Parts! Have you seen them, N64 Mario?" MegaMan pleaded.

"Not since yesterday, when you complained that you were out of oil for them. Where's the last place you saw them?" he replied.

"In their containment units last night. If I don't get them back, the players playing my game won't be able to get or use Buster Parts!" Mega Man cried, "I'll be ruined!"

"Calm down. They'll show up soon enough, I bet." Allstar Link added and sipped at a cup of hot milk, "I hope they fix the air conditioner today. I'm freezing my tunic off!" GBC Link smiled at Mega Man.

"They'll pop up soon! I know they will!" he added cheerfully and then went back to his cereal. GBC/GBA Link was about two years older than N64 Link had been in his adventures in _Majora's Mask_ and _Ocarina of Time_, stuck somewhere between kid and teen. He had been a little awkward when he was first introduced, but once he and Allstar Link learned they were being crossed over into the new systems, now named GameCube and Game Boy Advance, they settled into an easygoing routine. N64 Link would stay in the computer until the GameCube launched and then be redesigned, while Advance Link, GBC/GBA Link's shortened name, launched for his two adventures on both Game Boys.

"I hope so. My game's messed up without them." Mega Man muttered as Banjo and Kazooie from their own N64 games stormed up to the group and dumped a pile of bluish parts onto the table. Allstar Link jumped back to avoid milk being splattered on his clothes.

"Hey! Watch it!" he yelled. The bear and bird looked angry as they shook parts at them.

"Look at this! Is this someone's idea of a practical joke? If it is, we're not laughing!" Kazooie snapped, "Look, look, look!"

"We got robot pieces instead of Jiggies! Players are griping like maniacs! They're playing our games and all they get are robot parts when they should be getting Jiggies!" Banjo threw in.

"Those are my Buster Parts! And your Jiggies must be the gold things left in their place in my games!" Mega Man exclaimed as Advance Link watched them with wide eyes.

"They got switched? Is that possible? Link, can game things get all mixed up?" he asked in surprise. Allstar Link nodded. "Weird. I bet that causes a lot of chaos and headaches."

"You have no idea, little guy." Mega Man sighed. He reached out to one piece and picked it up, studying it. "Yep, they got switched. My parts all say that they're property of the _Banjo-Kazooie _and _Banjo-Tooie_ games."

"Fat load of good they'll do us. You try sticking those things in a puzzle." Kazooie griped. N64 Mario got up and pushed his tray aside.

"Okay. Let's go to Master Control and straighten this out. This shouldn't have happened anyway. The only ones who can access that room are the Allstars, and why would any of us mess up the games?" he wondered aloud. He turned to the two Links. "Are you guys coming?"

"Nah. I've got a date with Zelda later. We're cruising Crescent Island and having a picnic. I'm busy for a while. How about you, Little Link? You want to see the inside of the Master Control?" the elder Link asked his trainee.

"No, thank you. I've got homework and I'm using the computer room to do it. DK's being a pain, but I like hanging out with Diddy. He's kinda cool." Advance Link replied and left the group, looking for the Kong he had spoken of. The rest of the group headed for the Master Control.

"This is weird." N64 Mario remarked as he looked at the chairs that were scattered about the room, "Usually we have these chairs in order." NES Mario walked up to the altered computer and inspected it. The codes were changed around a bit, switching the Buster Parts and the Jiggies from their normal games.

"I think I found the problem." he reported, "Somebody input the codes to switch the items." Allstar Mario headed over, checked the codes, then switched them around after entering his own personal code.

"There, that should do it. Buster Parts to _Mega Man 64 _and Jiggies to _Banjo-Kazooie_ and _Banjo-Tooie_. Problem solved." he said. Banjo began putting chairs back in their places.

"That's good to hear. But who switched the codes?" he asked. Mario poked at the console and lifted a finger to the light. A slight stain of red was on the glove.

"I don't know. Anyway, look at what I found on the keyboard. What could this be?" he asked aloud. Kazooie jumped up and down.

"A clue! It tells us who did it! What is it? Let me see!" she declared. Mario showed her the red stain. "It's blood! Whoever did it is a bleeder!" she announced.

"Great, let's go ask everybody who had a nosebleed last night if they did it." Mega Man grumbled. Mario took off the glove and held it out.

"If this is a clue, then we have to put it away somewhere. Anyone got a baggy?" he asked back. No one did, so they headed back to the rest of the base to find one.

Once they were back with the others, they bumped into N64 Peach, who had a complaint of her own.

"My dresses! They're all the wrong color! They're supposed to be pink, but they're blue!" she declared. GB Link also had a gripe.

"I can't find any of my equipment!" he yelled, "Where's my bow?! Where's my sword?! Where are my arrows and bombs?!" Allstar Mario placed the gloved with the red stain in a plastic bag and labeled it as 'Clue 1', then sighed.

"Okay! We'll go back and fix the codes!" he declared and ran off to fix the computers. Advance Link came in with a bunch of papers in his arms.

"GB Link! I finished my homework! Can I go play with Diddy and Tiny now?!" he called out. GB Link grabbed the papers and sat down, steamed.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Knock yourself out." he grumbled, "It took ages to get all that and now I can't find them!" Advance Link blinked, puzzled, then shrugged and ran off to find the Kongs. Mario returned some time later with all the codes straightened out. "Did you get my sword back?" GB Link muttered.

"Everyone got their things back, okay? Peach, your dresses are pink again. GB Link, every bit of equipment you ever get in _Link's Awakening_ is back where it belongs." he answered and held up a piece of paper, "By the way, I found this in the room. It's an access code belonging to an Allstar. That's how the codes were changed to begin with."

"Let me see." GB Link said and looked at the paper, "It says '2958 Alpha'. Whose code is it?"

"I don't know. The Allstars keep their codes secret." Mario replied and frowned, "Looks like we've got us a mystery. Someone's messing with our games." He put the paper in another bag and labeled it. "We have two clues. This code and the red stain. There's some of it on my glove, so that will have to do."

"If we have a mystery, who are the suspects?" Peach asked, "Why would any of us want to wreck our own games?"

"First of all, the Allstars are suspects. Except for me." Mario replied, "One, this code isn't mine. Two, I don't have any cuts."

"You could be fibbing." Kazooie pointed out, "All of the Allstars are suspects, including you." Mario sighed.

"All right, fine. I'm a suspect. To clear my name and the other Allstars, I'll help investigate this mystery."

"I certainly hope you don't think I'm a suspect." Allstar Peach declared haughtily, "Why in the name of Nintendo would I want to mess up my clothes? That doesn't make any sense."

"Don't think Allstar Link had anything to do with this fiasco! We trained him to always be good!" GB Link snapped. Banjo grinned.

"How about the time when he gave Ganondorf that wedgie?" he asked, "Or when he stole his Triforce and turned into a little monster?"

"Or when he put Peach's perfume in the washer with Mario's clothes and made everyone think Mario was cross dressing?" Mega Man pointed out. GB Link steamed slightly.

"Okay, so he likes to play a few pranks now and then. What do you expect? We're elves! We're supposed to be tricksters!" he grumbled. Mario snickered and waved his hands.

"Okay, okay. We know you guys like to pull our legs sometimes, but this goes beyond a simple joke. Someone's messing with us and we've got to stop him or her." he said.

"Okay. So what do we know?" Peach asked him.

"The codes were changed last night, late. We know because Mega Man said his parts were in place before he went to bed. Let's ask everyone on our suspect list where they were last night and see if we can confirm those alibis." Mario replied, "Let's see, there's you, me, N64 Link, N64 Luigi, and N64 DK."

"Five suspects. Pretty good." GB Link remarked, "So, where were you last night, Mario?" Mario grinned and thought back.

"I was over at the GameCube vault for Luigi's Mansion, checking out the equipment. A Game Boy Color as a ghost scanner, what a hoot!" he laughed.

"Can anyone confirm that alibi?" Peach asked suspiciously. Mario nodded.

"Yeah, N64 Pikachu. He wanted to take a look with me. And N64 Luigi was there, checking up on the new guy." Mario replied. Link sniffed.

"We'll ask them in a bit about it. How convenient that your brother was there too." he remarked. Mario shrugged nonchalantly. "What about you, Peach?"

"Hmmph! I was at the Princess Power Party! All the princesses have one every Friday to celebrate our strength. We're not just pretty faces you have to constantly rescue because we don't know how to defend ourselves!" she replied haughtily, "Ask any princess; they'll tell you I was there. It was my turn to recite a poem about the power of the crown. I was in bed by ten. I need my beauty rest. I woke up this morning and found all my dresses were blue! When I fell asleep, they were pink!"

"See anything suspicious in the auditorium?" Mega Man asked. Peach thought about it.

"Now that you mention it, I think so. There was a little blur at the back of the room. It went by very quick, but something ran past the open door of the auditorium. And that room is on the hallway that leads to the elevator that goes up to the Master Control's first defense." she replied, "I didn't get a very good look at it." Just as she finished, there was a cry from behind them.

"No! Stop! Drop that!" a dark-sounding voice yelled. The group turned and watched a black hedgehog run by with a box of cupcakes. He was followed by a second black hedgehog, the one who was screaming. "Stop right there! Drop those cupcakes! GC Shadow, those aren't yours! Hand them over!" DC Shadow yelled, racing past and waving a giant fan threateningly, "Either you give me those cupcakes, or I'll whack you right back into that capsule!"

"Oh no. Looks like Sega's guys have trouble handling their Nintendo counterparts." Mario sighed.

"What's the matter, Shadow? Can't catch the other guy?" Kazooie taunted.

"You stay out of it, Turkey! GC Shadow! Gimme those cupcakes!" the Sega character screamed, racing away again. "No! Don't eat them! Those were for the Gourmet Guy!!! Now I'll never get our gold rings back!"

"The gold rings are missing from our version of the Sonic Adventure 2 game? It hasn't even been completed yet!" Mario exclaimed, "What are they doing in Paper Mario?!" He sighed and shook his head, "You guys keep investigating. I'll go back and switch the codes again. This mystery prankster is getting on my nerves." GB Link, Peach, Mega Man, Banjo, and Kazooie headed off to find DK and Allstar Link to ask about where they were. They walked past the two Shadows, GC Shadow sitting on a wall and looking down at DC Shadow, who stood angrily at the bottom, covered in chocolate cupcakes.

"You said drop them, Shadow! Honest! I heard you say drop them! That's what you said! You said it! Right, guys? He said for me to drop them! It's not my fault he was in their way!" GC Shadow exclaimed to the snickering Yoshis and Kirbys watching them.

The announcement came over the speakers while Advance Link, Diddy, and Tiny were having a race in the rec rooms. They paused and listened to the voices of Allstar Mario and Final Sonic.

"Attention, all Nintendo game characters!" Mario declared.

"Listen up, Sega transfers!" Final Sonic added.

"We currently have someone among us who is switching our game items and coloring around. Would all the Allstars report to my office for questioning? And to all other characters, report any suspicious things or activities to me, GB Link, N64 Peach, N64 Mega Man, N64 Banjo, and N64 Kazooie." Mario went on.

"Sega guys, help them out as much as you can! The _Sonic Adventure 2_ game for GameCube was messed with, too! This is as much our problem as it is Nintendo's!" Sonic reminded his group. The announcement ended. Diddy and Tiny looked at each other.

"This is bad news! What if _Donkey Kong 64 _gets hit next? What if the codes for our weapons gets switched?! We won't have our shooters!" Diddy exclaimed.

"What about our instruments? Oh no! Who could be doing this?" Tiny added worriedly. Advance Link was on the other end of the room, tying up the finish line tape to start the race.

"Hey, guys! What's the hold up? Are you all really worried over that prankster? Mario will get him! Come on! Let's have some fun!" he called out as he ran back to them.

"I hope so. This is creepy." Tiny mumbled. Advance Link grinned and nodded. "Well, okay. On your mark, get set, go!" the Kong declared and the three of them dashed for the finish line. With her small stature, Tiny easily won the race. "I win again! Diddy, you owe me a ride on your Jetpack! Link, you owe me a date!"

"Aw, do I have to? Zelda's not gonna like it, ya know." Link wailed, "And I'm tired of banana pudding!" Tiny poked at his stomach.

"You're eating pudding with me at lunch and you're gonna like it! Now quit complaining!" she scolded. Link made a face and the three of them ran off to find more places to play.

The three kids ran into a computer room where NES Link was checking the Zelda website. He looked back at them, watching them run around in laughter.

"Hey! Calm down! Don't run around in here! Can't you see people are working? Myself included?" he scolded.

"Sorry, NES Link!" Advance Link, Diddy, and Tiny all said in unison, then giggled and ran off again.

"Kids." NES Link muttered and checked the polls on the site about the planned look for the new Link. "Man, this doesn't look good. Good thing none of the new Links saw this. Are we really going to have to let GameCube change Allstar Link into that? I was so used to the way he looks now. He was our first new breakthrough in Link looks." he sighed and clicked off. "How am I going to tell him that we're going to make him a kid again... but in that new style?" he wondered under his breath. Someone listened in on the one-sided conversation and then sped away.


	2. The Start of Suspicion

A/N: Okay, as of today, I'll be unable to do ANY updating on anything, due to the fact that this comp is going to be taken away and I will barely have the time to back up my entire profile in it. Don't ask why, just know that the idea of it is pissing me off. Just enjoy what little I do have on the Net, and have some patience, I plan on finishing what I can one of these days.

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Chapter Two

Someone sneaked back into Master Control and rearranged a few new codes. The morning found Nintendo in a disarray. The Allstars had all been questioned and interrogated, but no one could find anything wrong with their alibis.

"Things are getting worse." Final Sonic sighed as he sat with Allstar Mario at their coffee table. "Our Chaos Emeralds got switched with Coins."

"I don't think the Lil' Oink shop accepts large power jewels." Mario muttered and scratched his head. "I don't get it. Who keeps getting by the defenses?"

"Did you check the security tapes to see who it was?" Sonic asked between sips of coffee. Mario shook his head.

"I would, if we had any. They've all been melted to sludge." he replied. A commotion started up in the main area of the base. "Oh no. Here we go."

"My udders! Where are my udders?! I had a hundred gold udders and now all I got are Gold Mushrooms from that stupid _Mario Kart 64_ game!! What am I supposed to do with mushrooms?! Have a mushroom flambé?!" N64 Earthworm Jim screamed angrily at N64 Toad.

"Don't look at me, Wormboy! Your udders clogged up my kart's engines!" the princess' aide snapped back.

"My hammer's gone!" GC Amy Rose wailed.

"The Poké Balls are all solid white!" GB Ash and GB Pikachu yelled. "What kind of joke is that?"

"Our Golden Bananas are missing!" the Kongs all wailed loudly, "We want our Golden Bananas!"

"Banana pudding. Yucky." Advance Link muttered as he stared at the yellow goop on his breakfast tray. Allstar Link was covering his ears as he glared out at the crowd.

"Shut up! Everybody, shut up! They're working on it, okay?!" he yelled at them, "Some of us are trying to eat!" Mario looked at them and sighed again.

"Let me go fix this new mess, then we can get on with the rest of the investigation." he told Sonic. The hedgehog stood with him.

"I'll come along. I've always wanted to see what the Nintendo Master Control was like. Ours gets a little crowded whenever the big name characters go in for meetings and stuff." he remarked and the two of them headed for the room.

------------------------------------

"Yeah, it's that same code again." Mario muttered as he started repairing the damage. Sonic pulled a chair across from one computer and sat down to watch.

"This place is kinda messy, don'tcha think?" he remarked with a grin. Mario looked around. A few chairs were out of place again, including the one Sonic had pulled up.

"Usually it's in order, but lately...." he muttered and a flash caught his attention, "Hey, what's that?" Sonic blinked and followed Mario's gaze to one surveillance monitor. Something was flashing on the screen.

"I thought you said the cameras didn't work." Sonic remarked dryly.

"They do work; they just can't record. That doesn't mean the cameras still can't show us what's around the room." Mario answered and ran out of the room, "Come on! Maybe it's another clue!" Sonic followed him out and they came to a part of the defense system that had large metal blades swinging back and forth down a hallway.

"Yikes! Where did this come from?" Sonic yelped. Mario searched the ground and picked up a piece of metal. He examined it and then dropped it off into a bag he carried with him.

"It's the second defense. It was activated last night so the Prankster wouldn't try anything funny. Didn't work." he muttered. "I turned them off by saying the name of the man who made the first Easter Egg. That's how we got through. Remember this hall?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it. So, what's the thing you found?" Sonic asked.

"Some kind of metal. I'm not sure exactly so I'll need to do some tests on it." Mario replied.

"Let DC Tails do it. He's really smart and he could probably figure out what it is for you."

"Thanks. This mystery gets stranger and stranger. Who would want to wreck our games?" Mario asked himself.

"Playstation? They never did get over the fact that you beat them nearly senseless during the Treaty of 2002. I've never seen you two fight so long over a third party game company." Sonic reminded him. Mario shook his head.

"It was a matter of pride. Besides, they pranked us with hacking Advance Link's program and making him think he was Solid Snake for a week. You know how freaked everyone was to see a Link with a gun?" he grumbled, "Especially all the ones they gave him?!" He sighed and dropped the subject. "Anyway, after that fiasco, we doubled the security on our files. No, only a Nintendo character could get in this room with an Allstar's access code. But who? And why?" he thought aloud.

"Hey, if this is second defense, what was the first?" Sonic asked. Mario scratched his head in thought.

"First defense? That was where the ceiling falls down and crushes whoever's there in the hall." he replied.

"Ooh, prankster pancake!" Sonic laughed. Mario grinned.

"Well, that was the general idea, but apparently our trickster made it through. Which means he or she had to be fast on their feet." he replied. Sonic made a face.

"Don't say it was me, Shadow, or our Nintendo counterparts! We've never even known where this place was, let alone gotten past security to screw things up!" he declared. Mario shook his head.

"Sorry, but that speed does put you and them on the list. We'll ask you all and our Nintendo suspects some questions after lunch. Please don't take it personal." he apologized. Sonic pouted and fell into a silent, sour mood, quietly waiting to be led back to the main area.

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Allstar Link was sipping at a soda after all of the interviews were done. N64 Fox sat with him, sighing in boredom. They had been questioned a few times, but had no real leads.

"Didn't make sense to drag me in. Yeah, I move fast, but not that fast." Fox muttered and glanced at his companion, "So... why'd they talk to you? You're not that fast, Link. No offense." Link blew bubbles into his soda and glared at him.

"Bunny Hood." he grumbled, as if that explained everything. Fox lifted an eyebrow.

"Uh huh." he replied and sighed, "I'm talking to a man who wears bunny hoods. Suh-weet."

"They said there was a piece of metal at the scene. Now they're asking anyone who has anything metallic if they were near the Master Control last night." Link muttered and swallowed the last mouthful of soda. A bit dripped from the corner of his mouth and he wiped it off with the back of his hand. Fox lifted an eyebrow.

"Hey, Link. Where are those gauntlet things you wear all the time? You don't have them now." he asked, pointing at the elf's wrists. Link folded his arms to hide them, frowning.

"They're being polished." he replied with a pout, "Both sets. I have to keep them clean, ya know. I have a reputation to maintain." Fox rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Right." he muttered under his breath and turned to one side, "Yo, waiter! Can I get a party sub here?! And this time, double the onions!" Link made a face and gagged.

"Ugh! You're a sick man, Fox! I'm outta here!" he declared and got up, flipping a few coins onto the table to pay for the soda, "Party sub with double onions.... Ack!"

-----------------------

GB Pikachu lounged on his back in one rec room, watching a movie on the wide screen and munching popcorn. With the codes straightened out again, he could relax and have some fun. He was still close friends with N64 Link, but since the incidents with the Prankster, as the mysterious being was now being called, Link kept his distance so as not to get him involved. Pikachu didn't like the idea of it, but understood the feeling behind it. A sound came from behind him and Pikachu flipped over to face the intruder.

"Whoa! You move pretty fast, Pikachu!" Advance Link exclaimed, holding a package of candy in his hands, "I thought I moved really quiet, too."

"My ears are a little better than the other Links's. Allstar Link can hear a little better than me, though. What are you doing here? I thought you were in the computer room doing some extra credit work." Pikachu replied, sitting up. Advance Link smiled and cocked his head.

"Finished! I'm doing a report on the Allstars' history! I came to watch a movie. Didn't think you were here, too." he replied. He sat next to the mouse and opened the box. Pikachu sniffed and smiled.

"Hey.... Are those malt balls?" he asked eagerly. Link nodded. "I loove malt balls! Can I have some? Pretty please?" Pikachu pleaded. Link poured out some of the candy for Pikachu to have and they both went back to enjoying the video.

It was after a few minutes that other game characters came in to join them. GC Shadow was one of them, soon followed by his Sega counterpart to keep him in line.

"Sit down! Don't bounce around in your chair! Chew with your mouth closed! Don't munch popcorn so loudly!" he scolded, "Geez! You're my Nintendo counterpart?! How did you wind up so hyper and childish?! You've been hanging around Final Sonic again, haven't you? I'm supposed to be training you, not him!"

"Whee!" GC Shadow laughed and bounced up and down in his seat. Advance Link looked back at him and winked. "Movie! I want candy!"

"Hey! Down in front!" SNES Zero shouted and chucked a box of popcorn down the theater so it beaned one of the Shadows on the head. The hedgehog leaped up onto the seat and glared up at him angrily.

That's it! I've had it with food getting dumped on me! Now you're gonna get it!" DC Shadow shrieked. NES Peach giggled at Zero.

"Now you're in for it. You hit the wrong hedgehog." she snickered.

"Like it's my fault they both look exactly the same." he grumbled back.

"Taste the power of a ticked off hedgehog, Girly-Bot!" Shadow declared, preparing to fire a Chaos Spear.

"Shadow! You're blocking the view! Kill the chick after the movie!" DC Rouge shouted down at him.

"You're next, Batgirl!"

"Come here and say that to my face!"

"I'll whup the both of ya!"

"Stay out of this, Blondie! You've already got a date with my Chaos Control!"

"Yeah! I wasn't talking to you, Less Than Zero!"

"It's getting noisy. I'm going to go and see if Diddy wants to play." Advance Link told Pikachu, his fingers plugged into his ears. Pikachu nodded, ears pulled down as Link got up to leave.

"Bring me some earplugs if you come back." he told him.


	3. The Photo

Chapter Three

The Prankster returned to the Master Control and found a third defense blocking the way. The walls seemed odd, so a small object was thrown down the hall. The walls shook and then slammed together, crushing the object. The Prankster studied the walls carefully, then smiled. The Prankster had a new idea on how to get past this defense.

Once the walls were taken care of, The Prankster got into the room and pulled out another slip of paper, having forgotten the exact code when the first piece was lost. Luckily, the code's sounds were still in The Prankster's mind and they were written down again. Using the melody as a key, The Prankster punched in the access code, then proceeded to rearrange and mismatch items, colors and tools. And again, the tapes were melted after the deed was done. The Prankster was getting trickier and a little more dangerous.

"How did this happen?" N64 Mario asked Final Sonic as he looked at the object wedged between the two walls. The Master Emerald gleamed brightly, stuck between the two parts of the trap and completely unharmed. Sonic gave him a sideways glare.

"I don't know. Maybe it's a miracle. Here come the angels to sing the praises of a teleporting emerald." he growled.

"Man, this guy is really getting on my nerves." Mario griped and sighed. "Robinett!" The walls came apart and the trap was turned off. The Master Emerald lay on the floor, still glittering. The shimmer made it look like the jewel was laughing at them. "That isn't helping." Sonic went up and checked the ground as Mario went on, listing the new problems. "GC Shadow doesn't have his shoes, just socks. Jim's udders were swiped again, replaced with Golden Bananas. The Kongs are freaking out. And of course, GC Knuckles panicked when the Master Emerald vanished."

"GC Rouge's hair turned green, N64 Fox's Arwing got switched with N64 Captain Falcon's race car, and all of the Kirbys' tomatoes turned into mushrooms." Sonic added, picking up a few brown bits from off the floor. "What's this?" Mario looked at the bits with him, then held open a bag for him to drop the bits in.

"I'm not sure. Looks like a walnut, or a really dry raisin." he replied, "I bet The Prankster threw this down to check for traps, then used the Master Emerald to wedge it and slip through the gap."

"Then The Prankster can't be someone fat, or very wide. The Master Emerald always stands on the tip. The gap wouldn't be any wider than the top of the emerald. Plus, The Prankster would have to climb over the Emerald. It was on the ground when we found it. If The Prankster was heavy, he or she wouldn't have been able to climb up and over it." Sonic deduced. Mario nodded.

"You're right. Sonic, take the Emerald back while I go fix the codes. Looks like we have another clue. This mystery is getting more interesting." he replied and walked on ahead while Sonic picked up the Emerald and began to lug it back to Sega's section of the Nintendo base.

Mario looked around the Master Control room carefully. Once again, the chairs were rearranged and the tapes were melted. With a sigh, he started on fixing the codes, then shrank down from his super size to check the back of the computer. He smiled. The Prankster missed a secret tape Mario planted the day before. It wasn't a video tape, just audio, so he could only hear what was on it. Mario rewound the tape, then played it. For a few long minutes, there was no sound, then came a few sounds like computerized music, then the sounds of chairs scraping the floor and keys being pressed. Then there was a twang sound and, finally, nothing.

"That's weird." Mario muttered and pocketed the tape along with the bag of bits. He rearranged the chairs in their proper places, then left the computer.

"Okay, here are the clues and what we know." Mario announced to the Allstars at their meeting, "We have a red blot, a piece of paper with a code on it, a piece of metal that is being analyzed, bits of something brown, and a tape of sounds from the room last night. Those are our clues."

"We know that The Prankster is fast, not fat or heavy, and is probably bloody." Allstar Link added.

"Don't forget strong. He or she carried the Emerald to the trap to wedge it." DK pointed out.

"What about the melted tapes and the chairs? Aren't they clues too?" Peach remarked, "And The Prankster must be a very quiet person. Notice how we didn't hear a voice or footsteps on the tape?"

"So the punk stapled his lips together! How's that gonna help us any?!" DK griped. Peach glared at him.

"It means that we have to rule out anyone who is noisy or can't keep quiet for more than a few minutes. Now, what are we going to do about protecting the Master Control tonight?" she replied.

"Arcade Mario and DK have come up with a new defense and are installing it right now." Mario told the group. "It involves combining all three defenses into one long obstacle course. First the falling ceiling, then the blades, then the crushing walls."

"That might work. The Prankster knows how to handle one defense at a time. With three at once, he may as well give up!" Luigi remarked.

"I don't know. The Prankster's outsmarted us so far. What if he just screws us over again?" Link asked worriedly. DK sniffed.

"The punk won't dare try anything funny with three defenses blocking the way to the Master Control! And the jewel thing he used for a wedge is locked up good and tight!" the ape declared. Link still looked troubled and he rubbed at his bare wrist a little.

"It's late and we're all a little stressed out from this mystery. Let's get some rest. Allstars, dismissed!" Mario declared and the group left the Master Control to get to their rooms.

"I just know this isn't gonna work." Link muttered as he headed back. DK walked with him, grinning.

"Why? Are you The Prankster and say it won't 'cause you know how to mess it up?" he teased. Link turned his nose up.

"Yeah, right! You wish I was The Prankster just so you'd have an excuse to make me look as stupid as you!" he declared haughtily.

"Then what about those wrist things you always wear? They're made of metal, aren't they? And now you don't wear them. Is it because they got chipped when you broke into Master Control last night and you don't want anyone to see the broken part for fear of them discovering you?" the ape went on teasing.

"You shut up about that! I told Fox already! I'm getting them polished! If you're looking to bug somebody about metal, then bug N64 Kirby! He's got that metal blade sword thing but he doesn't bring it out as much as he used to. And GB Kirby's got that Final Cutter thing! Bug him!" Link shrieked angrily, "Just stay off my back about my gauntlets! And I'm not The Prankster, you moronic baboon!" There was a faint sound from nearby and Link jerked his head to see what it was.

"Now what, Sunshine?" DK grumbled, "You starting to see things?"

"I thought I heard something, like quick footsteps." Link muttered.

"It's 'cause of those big ears. I'll sell ya some ear plugs, prankster." DK went on teasing. Link scowled at him and stormed back to his room as DK went on to his own area, laughing at the top of his lungs.

"Stupid Donkey Kong's still trying to push me around." he grumbled as he opened the door to his room. The room next door opened and Advance Link poked his head out, already dressed for bed. He had on some green pajamas, but didn't wear a hat to bed. Hats weren't allowed in bed.

"What's going on? Did you get in a fight with an Allstar, GC Link?" the little teen asked. Link smiled at him.

"Nah, just telling off a jerk ape. And I'm not GC Link, yet. My upgrade isn't until next month. The guys say I'll probably look the same, but I'll be a permanent adult." he replied. Advance Link thought about it, looking out at the hallway.

"Probably. Or maybe you'll be a kid again." he wondered aloud. N64 Link shrugged and stretched.

"Who knows. Anyway, let's get some sleep. It's late and you have studies tomorrow." he reminded his trainee. Advance Link smiled at him and laughed, then ducked back into his room.

* * *

That night, The Prankster stood before the three traps and looked puzzled. This was new. The Prankster sat down and thought about the new defense, studying the ceiling, the blades, and knowing the walls were rigged on the last part. The first two defenses could be bypassed easily enough, but the third was trouble. How could The Prankster wedge the walls if the Master Emerald couldn't get past the first two defenses safely? For a few minutes, The Prankster thought the problem over, growing frustrated by the puzzle. Finally, irritated by the fact that it prevented any more tricks from being pulled, The Prankster left the hallway and headed out in search of the Allstars' rooms. Master Control was inaccessible now, but tomorrow a solution will be found. In the meantime, the Allstars would each get a little present from a very annoyed Prankster; their reward for spoiling the fun.

* * *

"Master Control is safe!" Mario declared at the meeting the very next day. The other Allstars glared at him from around the table. Morning had brought them unpleasant surprises.

"Great. The room's safe, but now The Prankster's messing with us!" Luigi grumbled, his head bandaged up. When he got up that morning, Luigi found the floor of his room coated with slime. He slipped on it and bumped his head. It was currently being cleaned out.

"I don't know how it happened, but my room stinks!" Peach wailed. Her room had been filled with some kind of stink gas. She was forced to bunk with N64 Zelda, who wasn't too happy about the smell that lingered around the Mushroom Princess.

"Look at this! I look hideous!" Link cried and jabbed a finger at a poster of himself. The Prankster had nailed it to his door and scribbled all over it, adding a pointed beard, horns, an eyepatch, and gapped teeth to the elf's face. "Although, you gotta admit, the guy's got talent. Maybe he's in an art class." DK looked at it and started laughing.

"It's a perfect look for ya, Sunshine!" he hooted and slapped the table. Link gave him a furious look.

"How about I shove them precious Golden Bananas up your nose, Ice Cream Head?!" he snapped back. DK stopped laughing.

"Leave my head out of this, Elf-boy!" he growled. Donkey Kong had gotten his head bleached. The fur and curl now resembled an ice cream cone. "How did The Prankster get into my room anyway? Only Kongs know the password to our living area!" he grumbled.

"Calm down, everyone!" Mario exclaimed. The Prankster had stained all of his clothes with ink and paint. Mario looked like a tie-dyed hippie. "At least none of our games were messed up. And since The Prankster couldn't get into the Master Control, we finally got a videotape of the culprit." he added with a grin and produced a picture. "This is a photo of the guy. Anyone recognize it? I can't tell whether The Prankster is a boy or girl." Mario put the photo on the table. Everyone leaned in for a good look.

The black and white photo showed a small figure sitting on the floor, dressed in a cloak, hood, and long-sleeved gown. The costume was a solid color and fairly dark, with no distinguishing marks or features. The face couldn't be seen because of the camera angle.

"Doesn't ring a bell." Peach muttered.

"Never seen him or her." Luigi added.

"Is that a dress?" DK wondered aloud.

"That's a new one on me." Link remarked. Mario sighed. This wasn't going well.

"Well, at least the Master Control is safe again. Let's focus on finding this kid, okay?" he declared. The Allstars nodded and left the room to start searching.

* * *

N64 Fox smiled at DK when he approached with the picture of the robed Prankster. The ape scowled and shook the picture.

"Not one word about my hair." he growled. Fox just smiled wider as DK sat in a chair and held out the photo to him. "Do you recognize this?" The relaxation room was quiet, with some of the trainees and other characters all in a calm and relaxed mood. Tiny, Diddy, and Advance Link were giggling in one corner, watching the two of them. Fox looked at them, winked, then turned to the photo.

"No, can't say that I do. Sorry. Kinda small for a threat to Nintendo, ain't it?" he replied.

"This photo of The Prankster is our only big clue. And that other fox said the metal had magnetic properties. That doesn't help us." Donkey Kong muttered.

"Well, then. Ask the cafeteria refrigerator. It knows tons about magnets." Fox replied with a toothy grin. DK scowled as the kids laughed harder.

"You're being a pain, McCloud." he grumbled and started to storm away. Fox finally gave in to himself.

"Yo, DK! Want a cherry to go with that cone-head?!" he called out and burst into laughter, joined in by the children as the ape stomped out of the room.

"Donkey Kong looks weird." Advance Link remarked as their giggling finally ended. Diddy and Tiny nodded.

"Yeah. How weird. The Prankster somehow got into our living quarters and bleached out his head. But why didn't he do anything to the games?" Diddy wondered aloud.

"Didn't you hear? The new defense was too hard to figure out, so The Prankster gave up. She can't get past three at once." Tiny replied.

"She? Who says The Prankster's a girl?" Link asked, raising one eyebrow questioningly. Tiny jerked a thumb at herself.

"Me! I say The Prankster is a girl because boys are too dumb to come up with cool pranks!" she declared.

"It wasn't so cool when The Prankster switched our Golden Bananas again. That's twice we've been hit." Diddy muttered, "Why are the Donkey Kong games big targets?"

"Maybe the Prankster doesn't like gold bananas?" Link wondered. Tiny made a small noise as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ah, what do you know? Golden Bananas are the most wonderful things in all of DK Isles!" she told him. Link rolled his eyes and got up to pace around. "Now what are you doing?"

"Thinking." Link muttered.

"Oh, you're trying to figure out how to catch The Prankster yourself, right? That way nobody will treat you like a kid anymore, right?" Diddy pointed out. Link laughed.

"No, not that! I was thinking of something else. You can try to catch him, but I'll try to catch some sleep." he replied.

"What's up with Allstar Link? Why doesn't he wear those wrist things?" Tiny asked him.

"He said he was getting them polished." Advance Link replied and stopped pacing. "You know, I heard that N64 Superman is really fast and strong. Why didn't they name him as a suspect?" he wondered aloud.

"There's an idea." Tiny remarked, "Let's tell Mario!" She jumped down from the couch and waited for the boys.

"You tell him. NES Link told me I have to go back to my room and wait for him. He's taking me to the rec room to learn more about sword-fighting." Link replied and waved to them as he left, "I'll come over to your place later! Say hi to Dixie and Kiddy for me!"

Throughout the day, the Allstars showed the photo to every character they came across. None of them recognized the small figure with the cloak and hood. Pikachu turned the picture one way, then another.

"Looks like Gary when he has a bad case of acne." he muttered. Peach tapped her foot impatiently.

"Is that your suspect or what?" she asked him. GB Pikachu shrugged and handed it back. "Never mind. Hey, you're pretty fast yourself, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but do I look like someone who can lug a giant jewel on my back and throw it in the middle of a hallway?" the mouse replied flatly, "Besides, I can't reach the stupid controls to the games." Peach sighed and walked off to ask other characters.

Finally, the group of game characters came together and had to admit it to themselves; the photo wasn't helping.

"I'm gonna kill that punk!" Link yelled, tearing up the picture into small pieces, "I'm gonna break every bone in his body and throw him off Hyrule Castle!"

"Link, you're being hostile! Rated 'E', remember?!" Peach scolded him.

"Why don't we all go to sleep and continue our investigation tomorrow? The Prankster will be caught sooner or later. After all, the Master Control room is blocked." Mario told the group, "Allstars, dismissed." Everyone pushed their chairs in and left the control room.

"How long does it take those gauntlets to get cleaned anyway?" DK asked Link as they left.

"Gold and silver are very soft metals. They have to be cleaned carefully, you banana-split brain." the elf growled as he stormed into his room. DK made a face at the door, then headed back to his living area. When he went in, he found Advance Link sitting in the main room with the younger Kongs, playing a game with them. Bad timing, since he wasn't in the mood for elves.

"What's that elf-boy doin' here?!" DK bellowed, "No elf-boys allowed in our area! Out! You're just like that good-for-nothin', airhead blondie, Sunshine!" He slammed the floor with his hands, drumming it and making the kids bounce up and down.

"DK! Cut it out! What's goin' on?!" Diddy wailed as the group continued shaking and falling all over themselves. It felt like a small earthquake. Link couldn't stand up on his own. Every time he got to his feet, the slamming knocked him back over.

"Whoa! Hey! Watch it! I can't get up!" he cried as the other Kongs scurried into the room to see what was the matter. "What did I do?! Arcade Donkey Kong told you not to mess with us Links! Show some respect! We helped save your butt!"

"You didn't do anything, ya little punk! You're in our area! Out! Now!" DK yelled as the Kongs yelled angrily for him to quit. Link bounced and flipped towards the door, yelping angrily the whole way. Finally he got to his feet and jumped each bounce to stabilize.

"I'm telling on you, DK! You wait and see! You'll be sorry you messed with me! I'm telling GB Link on you!" Advance Link yelled and ran out of the room, staggering down the hall to his room.

"DK! What's gotten into you?! That's no way to treat a guest!" N64 Candy Kong snapped.

"How'd he get in here?!" the ape questioned her suspiciously.

"The same way he always gets in! We invited him in!" the lady ape yelled, poking her finger into his face, "Nice going, Numb-skull! You just made an enemy out of the Links again! You don't know anything! They're still more powerful than us equipment-wise and you go beating up on GBC/GBA Link for no good reason! Jerk!" She stormed away and the rest of the group glared at DK as they began to clean up the pile of toys and games the kids had been playing.

"Little Sunshine can't do anything to us except whine to the others. Big deal." the ape muttered as he headed for his room.


	4. Music's the Way

Chapter Four

The Prankster stood before the three defenses, prepared for them. It took a whole day, but now the solution was easy. After a bit of a pep talk, The Prankster sped across the booby-trapped hall and avoided the falling ceiling. Next, The Prankster walked through the rows of magnetized blades and came up to the crushing walls. Pulling a sword from behind the cape, The Prankster wedged it straight between the two walls after activating the trap. The walls clamped onto the sword, but it didn't break. The Prankster made it through the last defense, grinned, and entered the Master Control.

Once again, The Prankster switched codes around and then made a new change in one of them. A small slip of paper fell from The Prankster as it melted the tapes again and then it listened carefully. It heard a small sound. Searching the room, The Prankster found another secret recorder, Mario's second attempt to gather more information about the mystery intruder. The Prankster melted that, too. Satisfied with the pranks it had pulled for the night, The Prankster hurried away, laughing.

* * *

"It's gone! Someone stole it! It's gone!" Allstar Link was in a panic, racing around the cafeteria and waving his arms, "It's gone! It's gone! Someone stole the Master Sword!"

"By the Programmers, will this madness never end?" SNES Fox sighed. The other Allstars watched him run around a few more times before someone had the idea of throwing a glass of water into his face.

"Hey! Cool it!" N64 Capt. Falcon snapped. Link stood in shock, head tilted to one side and mouth open, still unable to grasp the idea that the Master Sword was gone.

"They're gone! They're gone!" the Kongs all screamed as they poured into the room.

"Shut up! Everybody, shut up!" Allstar Mario screamed out as they raced insanely around, "What's been switched this time?! Link! How did the Master Sword get stolen?! Only you can pull that sword from the stone!"

"Our Golden Bananas are gone!" the Kongs wailed.

"Ah, not this crud again." Final Sonic muttered as he rested his head on the table. Complaints began to sound out from around the room. GC Shadow was talking backwards, N64 Fox couldn't find any of his clothes, Samus' blaster cannon shot Poké Balls, GC Sonic turned red overnight and refused to come out of the bathroom, Banjo's sharktooth necklace was replaced with DK's tie, the N64 Yoshis' Super Happy Tree was growing mushrooms instead of fruit, and the coins from the Mario games were all silver instead of gold.

"The Prankster must either really love to torture us, or hates us enough to torture us." Allstar Luigi muttered.

"I think it's a mix of both." Allstar Peach remarked, "At least he didn't mess with my clothes or things."

"All right for you, princess," Sonic muttered, "but didn't we just get through saying The Prankster could never get past the triple threat defense?"

"Never say never, especially with The Prankster." Peach declared. Mario pulled his hands down his face and made a noise of frustration.

"Arrgh! All right! Let's go see what happened this time! And drag Allstar Link along! He's standing there like a braindead Christmas tree, minus the ornaments." he grumbled and stormed off towards Master Control.

The group found the ceiling didn't stop the intruder so they shut it off. The blades didn't work either, so that was turned off. Then they came to the wall crushers and that's where they found the Master Sword. Allstar Link stared at it. It was wedged between the two walls; the blade on the right, the hilt on the left. Link frowned slightly and called out Robinett's name to shut off the defense. He picked up the sword, examined it, then slid it into the sheath on his back.

"I don't understand it. How did The Prankster steal the Master Sword? And cram it in the defense?" Peach asked aloud. With no answers to the questions, the group pressed on and entered the Master Control.

Once again, the chairs were rearranged and the tapes were melted. Mario sighed as he looked down at what remained of his tape recorder. Allstar Link put in his code, reached up to the controls, and fixed the games and characters, then paused with a frown.

"Mario, take a look at this. According to this, the Donkey Kong games never had Golden Bananas." he called out, looking down at the screen, his hand still on the keys above him. Mario and the gang ran up to see. It was true. The codes in the program for Golden Bananas had been erased.

"Unbelievable. The Prankster wiped out the Golden Bananas from the program." Mario breathed in amazement. Link quickly rewrote the codes and, with Mario's help, put the bananas back into the program. "Everything else okay? Good. The Prankster found my secret recorder and wiped it out. Now we don't have any clues as to what happened."

"I found something." Luigi remarked and picked up the piece of paper, "Weird. It's got five lines and funny black dotes on it." He showed it to Mario. The plumber studied it and scratched his head.

"Looks like music. Hey, Link, you deal with music all the time. Recognize this melody?" Mario asked, handing the elf the paper. Link skimmed it and shook his head.

"This music doesn't make any sense. It's all out of rhythm. There's no pattern or beat." he replied, "I don't even know what instrument should play this. I only have experience with my ocarina, Deku pipes, Goron drums, and Zora guitar."

"Great. Now we have musicians as suspects." Sonic muttered. Peach sighed unhappily.

"That means the two new Links, GB Link, and most of the Kongs are suspects now. They have instruments and play music." she said.

"It's not mine! My ocarina can't play this! It doesn't look like it was written for an ocarina, or my other instruments! The same for GB Link! His instruments won't work with this kind of music!" Link snapped.

"How about the other Link? He's got that harp thing, right?" Sonic asked.

"Leave him out of this! How can you possibly think that Advance Link could do this?" Link barked angrily as the hedgehog held up his hands protectively.

"This paper is our only clue now. Let's analyze the other clues and see if we can find something more to them." Mario suggested and pushed the group out, "Now, come on. Let's also ask the Arcade characters to build a new defense for Master Control. These aren't working."

The characters were back in their normal routine once everything was put back in their rightful places. Diddy and Tiny told the Allstars about Superman and he became a new suspect.

"Face it. Everybody in the Nintendo base is a suspect." Sonic muttered.

"That's enough, Sonic. Now, let's take a look at these clues. What more information can we get from them?" Mario remarked. Peach gave the paper with the code a second look.

"Um, the word Alpha is written with the letters slanting to the left." she remarked. Luigi held out the paper of music.

"There are five notes on this paper." he added.

"And there were five music sounds on the tape recorder." Link put in.

"This red stuff looks like blood, but it might be something else. We'll get it tested too." Mario added, "Now, maybe we can find a pattern in the pranks. Put together a list of everyone whose games were tampered with." The group assembled a list after asking characters to repeat what had happened to them. DK noticed a pattern that didn't make him too happy.

"Hey! My games got hit three times in a row and the elves only got hit once! The Prankster's playing favorites with the Links!" the ape yelled. Link stood up angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?! Is that some sort of accusation that one of us is The Prankster?!" he snapped.

"If the dorky elf hat fits!"

"Watch your mouth, Dimwit Kong!"

"Quiet!" Mario snapped at the both of them. The two powers glared at each other, then finally sat down. "It is a little odd that the Zelda games have only been tampered with once then remained relatively untouched, but it doesn't give you, DK, the right to accuse the Links or Zeldas of any underhanded actions." he told the ape. Mario stood up with the clues and put them all back into a box. "Now, I'll be taking the red stain sample to be tested. Allstars, dismissed." The group went their separate ways.

* * *

Advance Link and the Kong kids watched from a distance, listening with the help of a few inventions. Link cocked his head to hear better. He was at the limit of his hearing distance. With them were some Yoshi kids. The children liked to hang out together.

"DK's right. Our games have been a major target while the Zelda games have been left alone." Dixie said quietly, looking across at Link. He looked back, worried.

"You think they think one of the Links did it?" he asked softly.

"Worse. I think that DK thinks that Allstar Link did it." Diddy pointed out. Advance Link yelped and then looked angry, pink darkening his cheeks as he puffed them slightly.

"You're taking that brainless baboon's side?! Allstar Link is totally innocent! He'd never do anything like that! You're just like DK, always blaming the elves!" he accused and ran off in a huff. The Kong kids stared after him in surprise.

"We didn't mean it like that, Link! Come back!" Tiny cried out to him and sighed sadly. "The Prankster's making us lose our friends. She's breaking up our trust and friendship, the meanie."

* * *

Tiny was right. The Nintendo characters began to argue and distrust each other. Friends became enemies, disputes flared over who The Prankster could be, accusations flew, and gossip and rumors spread like wildfire. Sonic did it because he never like Nintendo and wanted them to fail like his company, said one rumor. DK did it just to get attention, said another. Everyone looked at each other with cold eyes and the warm feelings that once were felt throughout the base were replaced by equally cold ones.

Master Control had a new defense put in; a wide, long pit that couldn't be crossed without someone to fly over and press a button on the wall so a bridge could appear. The Allstars reluctantly agreed that the pit would stop The Prankster and maybe even catch him. The pit was fairly deep and would be too high for him or her to climb out of on their own. With it in place, the characters headed off to bed.

Allstar Link watched his trainee practice playing the Harp of Ages in his room. Advance Link looked a little angry and the music sounded that way as well.

"What's the matter, Little Link? Get into a fight with your friends or something?" the elder elf asked as he sat on his bed. Advance Link stopped playing and tilted up his head in disdain.

"They're not my friends. My friends wouldn't say that you were The Prankster." he replied and put the harp down. "They said that you did it. That you are The Prankster." Allstar Link looked at him for a while before answering.

"Do you think I'm The Prankster?" he asked softly and hesitantly. Advance Link looked at him in shock.

"Of course not! No! You're not The Prankster! You can't do any of those pranks! They're not you! You have no reason to do them!" he exclaimed hotly, "You're not The Prankster! I know it!"

"Everyone says I am because our games were only messed with once. Yeah, the guy took my Master Sword, but that was easily recovered and it wasn't messed with too much either." the elder Link reminded him.

"Then they're wrong! They're all wrong! You're not The Prankster!" Advance Link yelled and raced out of the room. Allstar Link stood to go after him, then decided against it. Advance Link looked tired and he went straight to his own room anyway. Better leave him alone to rest and recover.

"You and the other Links are the only ones who think so." he mumbled and flicked off the light so he could go to sleep.

* * *

Tiny sat in her room, kicking her legs and frowning. Someone started a rumor that she and Advance Link were 'steady' after someone saw them eating lunch together. DK threw a fit and grounded her. She couldn't play with Advance Link anymore and he wasn't to be allowed in the Kongs' living area either.

"I'm gonna make him sorry he grounded me!" she muttered and began to plan. It would be tricky and hard to do, but if she could pull it off, DK would look like an idiot for a long time.

The Prankster stood at the edge of the pit and looked out across it. Under one arm was a Jiggy, the very object that would help The Prankster cross the pit. The Prankster had stood there for a few minutes figuring out a plan to get across and finally had an idea. It would be tricky, but not impossible. Once it had a plan, The Prankster ran off and stole one Jiggy. One Jiggy was all that was needed.

Using a clever trick and a handy item, The Prankster made its way across the pit and into Master Control. It melted the tapes and the secret tape, then proceeded to pull a new prank. This time, it was just one prank.

It was just one prank, but it was a deadly prank. The Prankster had always played simple tricks, harmless tricks, tricks that were easily remedied and didn't cause any real damage to anyone. That had all changed now. This time, The Prankster wanted more than just to irritate Nintendo. It wanted to be taken seriously....


	5. Stupid Zelda Game

A/N The current Allstars here are: N64 Mario, N64 Luigi, N64 Link, N64 Peach, and N64 Donkey Kong. In this story, GameCube hasn't launched yet, so SSBM doesn't exist yet. Give me time tho....

-------- 

Chapter Five

It began that morning with Banjo and Kazooie yelling about their missing Jiggy. The Allstars didn't pay that much attention to it. One Jiggy wasn't too big a deal. The Prankster seemed to be slipping on the tricks. That thought instantly changed when the NES, SNES, and GB Links all raced up to them in a panic.

"It's Allstar Link! Something's really wrong with him!" NES Link wailed.

"He's all pale and sickly looking and weak and he wouldn't open his eyes!" SNES Link added.

"His Triforce is missing! We've got to get it back! Without it, his heart will just stop beating! He'll die without it!" GB Link cried.

"And he won't be around for GameCube!" Mario exclaimed, "Quick! We've got to get to Master Control! Kazooie, come on! We'll need you!" The group raced to the Master Control while the Links ran off to get their sick descendant to the infirmary.

"Kazooie, fly across and press the button!" Peach called out as they reached the pit. The Breegull flew across and jabbed the button, then looked in surprise at the Jiggy that lay on the floor next to her. The group raced across the bridge as she collected it and followed them.

"Are you happy now, DK?! Now the Zelda games were hit!" Luigi snapped at the ape, "Only this time, that hit could cost us GameCube sales! And the life of one of our own! Are you satisfied?!" DK looked a little guilty.

Master Control had only one chair out of place this time and the tapes were all melted as before. Mario raced to the Zelda control panel, pushed the chair out of the way, and punched in his own code.

"DK! Gimme a boost! I can't reach the controls!" he yelled over his shoulder. DK ambled over and picked him up so Mario could begin checking the program for what prank had been pulled. His fingers pushed keys so fast, it looked like a blur of white. "Okay! I see what happened! The Triforce for Allstar Link was erased! Just like the Golden Bananas! I'll just rewrite the code and...." he started to say and suddenly an alarm went off. The screen flashed red instead of blue and everyone looked down at it.

"Access denied. Please enter password." the screen said. Mario stared at it in shock, then put in his own code again. The computer rejected it.

"Let me try." Peach said and entered her code on the lower keyboard. The computer rejected it, too. DK tried his code. The sounds of the keys were faintly familiar to the Allstars, but they couldn't place them. The computer rejected it anyway.

"Let me have a shot." Luigi said and entered his own code. The computer rejected that, too. "The Prankster must have locked us out of the program! We can't get in to put the Triforce back!"

"This is bad! We have to hurry up and solve this mystery, or Allstar Link's as good as dead! Again!" Mario cried. DK nodded.

"Yeah, and this time there's no Nintendo Coin conversion to give him a second chance." he muttered, referring to the Master Tournament's end from long ago.

"All right, let's not panic." Sonic told them, "Let's think this through carefully. Who is fast and not heavy or fat and knows an Allstar's code?"

"Well, it can't be DK. He's not fast and he is heavy and fat." Peach remarked.

"I'm not fat. I'm just big-boned." DK grumbled. Mario scratched his head and sighed.

"I don't know. We have a lot of characters who fit that description." he remarked.

"Then do you know anyone who could have gotten over the pit without using the bridge? And why was Kazooie's Jiggy there?" Sonic asked. Kazooie nodded.

"Yeah. My Jiggy was on the side of the pit where the button was, like it was left there for a reason." the Breegull put in. Mario thought hard, but couldn't come up with anything that could put the clues together. He pressed a button on the speaker system.

"GB Link! How's Allstar Link?" he called out to the infirmary. The elf's face came on screen as nurses and doctors bustled about in the background.

"We've got him hooked up to the Nintendo Power Core through the capillary conduits, so he's stabilized for now. I don't know how long he can survive without the Triforce. Did you get it back yet?" he replied.

"We've got trouble, GB Link. The Prankster erased the Triforce from _Ocarina of Time_ and then blocked the program with a password we can't break. We can't get in to rewrite the code!" Luigi exclaimed.

"What?! But, he can only stay stabilized for a day and a half at best! After that, we're talking iffy!"

"We know! We're coming up with a new plan! The Prankster likes to strike at night, right? Well, let's set up a stake-out and wait for him to try another prank, then we'll catch him in the act and make him give us the password." Mario declared.

"Do what you can, Mario. We're depending on you to pull this off." the elf replied and cut the connection.

"How are we going to catch The Prankster? Every defense you put up, he just finds a way to get past it." Sonic told Mario.

"Then you think of one, Mr. Hedgehog. This guy is a Nintendo character, sneaking past Nintendo defenses. Maybe a Sega trap will finally nab that rat." Mario replied with a grin. Sonic looked startled and sighed.

"I'll see what Tails and Eggman can do. They're the inventors. I just run as fast as my legs can go and let my speed do the thinking for me." he replied, "Speaking of which, Tails analyzed that red stuff and he says it's not blood. He doesn't know what that liquid is, but it's definitely not blood."

"See? No nose-bleeders." Mario told Kazooie, who only rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Well, then. Let's go and get ready to put in the new defense tonight! We can't afford to lose anymore time on this! We've got to catch The Prankster!"

---------------

DC Tails and DC Eggman were put to work on building the new defense. To help them were their Nintendo counterparts, aiding in whatever the Sega characters needed. Sega's defense system consisted of thin trap wires that would drop robots down from the ceiling onto the floor when they were cut. The lines would be strung between the walls of the hallway and the robots hidden in ports in the ceiling. For hours they worked, building and setting things up.

Meanwhile, the Allstars continued working on the clues they had. They still couldn't figure them out. Peach was sure that all they needed was a really good hint to get them on the right track to finding the identity of The Prankster. She didn't mention DK's code sounding familiar until she heard the tape again.

"That's it!" she cried, "I knew I recognized that music! DK's code, when he put it in the computer, sounded just like that!"

"Then The Prankster used DK's personal Allstar code to access the game computers?" Mario asked.

"Impossible! How could he have gotten my code?! I only use it in my computer in my room and the ones in the computer room!" DK exclaimed, on the verge of another fit.

"I don't know. But The Prankster must be a really good spy to have learned an Allstar's code." Mario muttered, "The codes don't have a pattern in them, so that may be why The Prankster wrote down the numbers and letters to remember them. Then the paper got lost. How could The Prankster still remember the code if the paper was gone?"

"Maybe from the sounds." Peach wondered aloud. Everyone looked at her in confusion. "Well, there are four numbers and one designation letter to DK's code, five symbols in all. And there were five notes on that other paper. Maybe The Prankster rewrote the code from memory as music notes because he couldn't remember the numbers and letter. That way, without really knowing the code, he could just punch the keys whose sounds matched the notes." she explained.

"The Prankster remembers music better than codes? Musicians must have lousy memories." DK snickered. Then he paused. "Wait, I remember music as good as codes." he said to himself.

"Great. You insulted yourself." Luigi remarked, "Proves how dumb you are."

"You lookin' for a fight, plumber?!"

"Yeah, maybe I am! What's it to ya, Banana Brain?!"

"Quiet!" Mario shouted and dug his fingers into his head. "I can't think anymore! I need a break. Allstars, dismissed! I'm going to grab a bite to eat and check on Allstar Link." he grumbled and left the meeting room, an alternate conference room when the Master Control couldn't be used.

----------

Master Control's new defense was in place after another hour of work. Allstar Mario was in the infirmary, visiting the ill elf. The other Links had been right; Allstar Link did look like death warmed over. He sat on a chair next to the bed and studied him.

"Link? Can you hear me?" he called softly. Slowly, the Allstar opened his eyes a little and looked at him.

"Pretty good. My ears are still the best. Well, second best at least. Advance Link has a bit better hearing than me." he replied just as softly.

"Link, we've got trouble. The Prankster erased your Triforce and locked us out of the program. Do you think your code will get us in?" Mario asked him.

"Told you he was a punk." Link said with a dry grin and sighed softly, "Okay, my code. I don't know. Give it a try. It goes like this." he added and took a little breath of air. "Da dee dum doo dah." Mario gave him an odd look. Link laughed a little. "Sorry. I can't remember a mess of numbers and letters. Get me a number pad. I'll play the tune again." he apologized. Mario left and came back with a play phone. Link struggled to press the keys, listening to the sounds. "Okay. Write it down while I play."

"All right. I'm ready for the code." Mario reported. Link played the tune again with the number pad and Mario scribbled down the code. "1572Beta. Got it. Thanks."

"No problem. Just tell Zelda I'll be a little late for our dinner date tonight." Link replied with a grin, then closed his eyes and fell asleep, exhausted. Mario pat his hand and left just as GB Link came in with two pairs of gauntlets.

"Whoa. Didn't see you here, Mario." the elder elf remarked, "I just dropped by to return Allstar Link's gauntlets. He just got them back from the cleaners." He held them out to him and the gold and silver shone bright. "They did a good job, don't you think? I hope he'll recover soon. Then he can wear them again." GB Link sighed sadly and entered the room.

"Me too." Mario replied to the door and left in a hurry. Link's code was their last shot at unlocking the program.

------

Advance Link tagged along behind NES Link as he rushed about the living area set aside for them. The little elf had his harp with him, still practicing the various notes on it.

"NES Link! What's going on? Where's Allstar Link? What happened?" he asked the questions over and over as he played the same quirky tune again and again.

"He's at the infirmary. The Prankster erased his Triforce. Go play somewhere! I've got to get this place cleaned up! If I don't keep my hands busy, I'll tear out my hair!" the elder elf babbled.

"You mean that triangle thing we all have inside us? It's important?" the little elf asked.

"Yes! Very important! If we don't have it in us, we die. Go play somewhere! Practice your harp in the rec room!" Advance Link scurried away with the harp after the other Links came in and shooed him away.

-------

Tiny had a hard time with her trick. It was one prank, but it had been hard to work out. Now all she needed was the right time to do it. But with everyone in an uproar over what had happened, she would have to wait until she could find the perfect window of opportunity.

"Oh, man! This is so not fun! Why did Link have to go and get so sick over losing that thing? You'd think he'd just throw a fit like DK, but nooo! He had to get sick!" she complained loudly and blinked in surprise when Advance Link ran by with the harp under one arm. "Hey, where's he going in such a rush? That's where the vaults are." she mumbled and hopped down from her seat with her saxophone in hand. Then she raced after him to see what he was up to now.

When Tiny reached the vaults, she found the one for the new Zelda game on Gamecube open. She tiptoed up to it and peeked in. Nothing. She couldn't see Advance Link anywhere. Curious, she walked into the room as quietly as she could, walking on her toes and moving very cautiously. Tiny looked around as she moved, searching for the little elf.

"Why are you following me?" a voice from behind her asked. Tiny jumped with a yelp and landed on her feet, whirling around in shock. Link stood a few feet behind her, harp in hands and a frown on his face. "What are you doing here? And why are you following me?" he asked again.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." Tiny stammered and looked around. "So, this is the GameCube vault for the new Zelda game." she changed the subject. "It looks nice. I bet the game is going to be great."

"It's stupid." Link replied flatly and began to play the Harp of Ages. "I hate it. Allstar Link doesn't need to be in this game." Tiny looked shocked.

"But, this is a Zelda game! How can a Zelda game be stupid?!" she cried in disbelief. Link hated this game?

"First time for everything. It's stupid. This is a stupid Zelda game. It should be scrapped and redone. All the power GameCube has and this was the best they could do for us? Everyone else got nice, new things for their new games and we Links got this trash." he went on and sniffed disdainfully. "If this is what the future looks like for _The Legend of Zelda_, then Allstar Link might as well be dead already."

"You don't mean that." Tiny protested and looked around, "Although, now that you mention it, the graphics do look a little cartoony. Not at all like a third gen game." She shook her head. "And what do you mean, 'might as well be dead'? Is Link really sick?! That triangle Triforce thingy was really important?!" Link nodded. "Even more important than our Golden Bananas?!"

"When your bananas were erased, the Kongs didn't have any after-effects. But as soon as Allstar Link's Triforce was erased, he got really sick, really fast." Link replied, "So that makes it more important than your Golden Bananas. By the way, I hate banana pudding."

"So, how is Allstar Link anyway?" Tiny asked, backing away from the things in the room and slowly making her way to the door. Link shrugged and played the same tune again, each finger on his left hand plucking one string to play it.

"GB Link said that he was connected to the Nintendo Power Core to keep him alive. It's got way more power than the Triforce of Courage so they think it should keep him going until the Allstars get it back. Which they haven't." he remarked. "Don't let the door hit ya on the way out." Tiny fled the vault.


	6. The Final Prank

A/N: Well, in the time that this story's been up lots of readers have guessed at who the Prankster could be. Some were way off, some hit real close to the mark. I'd say by tonight, I'll have the final chapter up to reveal the identity. In the meantime, enjoy some more cliffhangers! Oh and Maverick doesn't exist yet, but again, give me time and he'll show up in this series.

* * *

Chapter Six

Allstar Link got worse overnight and The Prankster didn't make an appearance. Sonic had fallen asleep, Mario had a bad case of red eyes from staring at the hall, and Peach was hyper from all the coffee she had drunk to stay up. And worst of all, Link's code was rejected as well.

"I'm going to kill that guy very slowly." DK muttered. The grumbling of the other Allstars signaled they agreed with him in some part.

"We've tried every Allstar code we have and nothing gets us in. This guy must be real good with computers." Peach sighed after the caffeine wore off. They kept watch on the hall, but no one showed up. So, they gave up and went to their rooms.

* * *

Morning brought them another set of problems. Allstar Link wasn't getting any better, and Advance Link was giving everyone an attitude problem. Tiny's prank worked. She bribed DC Shadow into using his powers over the Chaos Emeralds to make DK's secret stash of bananas rot at super-speed. The living area stank and everyone gave DK nasty looks since the mess was located under his bed. Tiny walked along the halls to the rec room with a big smile on her face, passing by Advance Link without even realizing it.

"Hey, Tiny." he called out coolly. Tiny paused and looked back at him in surprise. "If you wanted to make a stink, you should have asked me. I'd have let you borrow a couple of these." he went on and tossed a pair of round, yellow balls at her. Tiny caught them and looked at them. Each ball had a cap with a stem and three curled leaves. The balls also had little thorns on them.

"What are these?" she asked in confusion. Link chewed on a toothpick and grinned.

"Scent Seeds. Pull off the cap, give them a toss, and you can clear a crowded room in ten seconds flat. Guaranteed." he replied. Tiny eyed them warily and held them out.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Where'd you find these?" she asked as Link took them back.

"They're used in my Oracle games. They're real stinkers." he answered and put them away in a pouch, "I always carry a few different seeds with me, in case of emergencies."

"That's handy. I guess." Tiny muttered and forced a smile, "Hey! I've got an idea! Let's play a song in the rec rooms! I'll use my sax and you can use that harp of yours." she added. Link pulled it out from behind him. "Oh, you have it already. Well, let me get mine real quick." she muttered and ran off. A few minutes later she was back with her saxophone. They headed for the rec room together.

There were several other characters in the room when Link and Tiny arrived. Mostly they were just trying to find ways of taking their minds off of the trick The Prankster had played. The two of them found a spot with some of the other Kong kids and N64 Yoshi kids and set up their instruments. Once again, Link played the quirky little tune.

"Do you have to keep playing that? It's weird and it doesn't sound like music." Tiny asked him in exasperation, "Five notes and that's it. What kind of song is that?"

"One I made up myself." Link mumbled and grinned at her, "Why don't you give it a shot?" Tiny shrugged and lifted the sax to her mouth. Link played the notes and she followed along. They played the melody a few times, then switched to another song. "That's a weird one. What is that? The Harp of Ages couldn't match it."

"Saxophone Slam. It's only for my saxophone. That's why it doesn't work with your harp." Tiny replied and studied the way he held the harp. "Maybe it's also because you're holding it wrong."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You're using the left hand. Play it with the right one."

"I don't use my right hand! I'm left-handed! All Links are left-handed!"

"Why?"

"There aren't many heroes who use their left hands. Nintendo designed us to use them so that left-handed players wouldn't feel left out."

"Bad pun, Link."

"I wasn't joking."

"They went on for another hour, playing songs and talking about things like toys and web-sites. They argued over whose was bigger and whose was more good-looking, but in the end they had to settle on a draw.

"We have a cartoon and you don't so, nyah!" Tiny suddenly said and stuck her tongue out at him. Link grabbed and pulled on it, an angry look on his face.

"You shut up about that, banana brat! We had one, and a comic strip, too, but they canceled both when they couldn't come up with stories good enough for us!" he hissed and let go so Tiny could fall backwards. He stormed out of the room and headed back to his living area.

* * *

"Tails found out something else about that red stuff." Sonic suddenly said during another stake-out. Everyone looked at him. "It's not paint." The Allstars groaned and went back to watching the hall from inside Master Control. So far, no one showed up.

"Why hasn't he shown up?" Peach wondered aloud.

"Prankster's block?" DK asked, "Maybe he ran out of pranks to pull." Mario shook his head.

"No way. The Prankster's clever. He'll come up with something and then wait for the right time to do it." he replied.

"This is sooo boring!" Sonic exclaimed and everyone shushed him. "What?"

"Someone's coming! I think it's him!" Luigi remarked and they stared at the screen. The Prankster stepped up to the hall where the traps were set, then stopped. "Do we get him now?"

"No, he has to either get caught by the traps, or come in here where we can ambush him." Mario replied. They watched the small figure anxiously.

* * *

Out in the hall, The Prankster studied the walls, floor and ceiling with suspicion. He didn't like the looks of it. It seemed almost barren and deserted. He leaned against the wall and looked out at the door on the opposite side, thinking. When he got there, what prank would he pull? It had to be something big. His head began to ache and suddenly, the world began to spin. Nauseated, The Prankster wobbled away from the wall and dropped to the floor, breathing hard. Just great. The boss was back.

"_Destruction_." it said. Just one word. It always told him just one word. First, chaos. Now, destruction. Well, the boss is the boss. And he did promise to make Nintendo change their minds. But, how were they going to change their minds if Nintendo collapsed?

The Prankster got to his feet and looked back at the Master Control one more time, then left the hall. He would return another time, when he had a plan in mind.

* * *

"The Prankster looks sick." Sonic remarked as they watched the figure on the screen.

"He didn't do anything. Now what? We're stuck in here while he just walks away again." Peach grumbled.

"We'll just have to come back tomorrow night and do it again. The Prankster's not done yet. I can feel it in my gut." Mario growled, "He's up to something major."

"My gut wants a chili dog. I can feel the rumble already." Sonic muttered as he leaned back in a chair to get some sleep.

* * *

With The Prankster psyching everyone out by delaying his next prank, everyone in the Nintendo base was high strung, anxious to find out who would be the next victim. The Sega trap was still untouched as the Allstars continued working on the clues they had with them.

"What is up with the chairs?" Luigi muttered, "Why does The Prankster keep messing with the chairs?"

"He's small, right? The picture shows he's small. So, maybe he can't reach the controls. That's why he would move the chairs. That way, he could reach the controls set high up on the computers." Peach replied.

"I'd like to know why The Prankster is doing this. What does he expect to gain by ruining our games?" Mario wondered aloud.

"Attention?" Sonic put in.

"Money?" DK offered. Mario shook his head. "Then you think of something, plumber. I have to go and check on Tiny. Somebody said she's still hanging around that worthless elf-boy."

"Advance Link is not worthless! He did a good job of stalling players while we got Atlantis completed!" Luigi snapped at the ape.

"All that punk's good for is memorizing music and shooting junk from that slingshot thing of his." Donkey Kong grumbled as he left the group and ambled away.

"They're not junk! They're seeds!" Peach yelled and huffed. "Allstar Link's right; he is a Banana Brain." Sonic gave her a flat look.

"Took you this long to figure that out? Boy, you _are_ a slow mo." he remarked. Peach scowled at him as Mario frowned and stared at the clues. Something was coming to his mind, but he wasn't sure what it was, or whether he would like it or not.

* * *

The Prankster stood in the supply room and looked around. There were some things he was going to need for later. Opening a black knapsack, The Prankster began to walk down aisles and selected pieces of electronic equipment to pack into the bag. A radio and small electronic tool kit were among the items swiped and one small armband computer with hacker ID card attached to it was also added to the collection. The Prankster closed the pack and pulled it on. Always one to make sure he was fully prepared for anything unexpected, The Prankster felt more confident with a full stock of supplies. He then fled the room and raced back to his own room.

* * *

Nintendo was in a state of shock. Almost certain death loomed over one of their own, and everyone had been so busy squabbling and scheming over who The Prankster was that they had completely left themselves open to a deadly hit. They were now ready to rally together to stop The Prankster, but how could they, when the trickster hadn't even been identified?

The launch of the GameCube loomed ever closer to them, and shock began to give way to panic, slowly but surely. If Allstar Link died, what would happen to the _Legend of Zelda_ series set for the new system? And the _Smash Brothers_ sequel everyone had been looking forward to seeing? The Allstars and the other characters involved in the first game were going to return in the sequel to recreate the whole story in fluid 3-D detail, complete with the in-between scenes of Allstar Link's talk with GB Link, telling Pikachu his plan, transforming into GB Link, and a movie at the end of the game that shows what really happened. Now it may never be released.

Little did they know that on that very night, The Prankster would play the ultimate joke on Nintendo....

* * *

Advance Link was catching a quick nap in the library when Tiny took her seat in front of him. She watched him snooze, then waved her hand in front of his face.

"Hello? Link? Are you awake? Geez, you're about as out as DK's brain on a good day." she told him. Link flicked an ear and opened his eyes, looking up at her.

"Homework. Ugh." he groaned and sat up, stretching. Tiny yawned and grinned.

"I know what you mean. Prof. Cranky Kong has me doing computer assignments all the time. It's 'cause he doesn't get the idea of technology going on without him, so he bugs us with it in hopes we'll get as sick of it as him." she remarked.

"I'm not in the mood to talk right now. I've got to go and take a nice long nap." Link sighed and left the library. Tiny watched him leave and wondered about her own work. Nights are tough for someone like her. She needed every second of beauty sleep if she was going to be as pretty as Candy Kong.

"Well, if I'm going to be up again tonight, I'd better get some naptime, too." she decided to herself and ran off.

* * *

Sonic and the remaining Allstars waited again to see if The Prankster would show up. It was late and Allstar Link was losing strength rapidly. Nintendo's Power Core wasn't going to keep him alive much longer. As they anxiously awaited the arrival of The Prankster, Mario sat in a chair fitting clues and evidence to the suspect he had in mind.

"It can't be. It couldn't be. After all this time... is it even possible? Why? I don't understand. Why? So young and innocent... who would have ever guessed?" he mumbled to himself as his suspicions gave way to facts. He was beginning to realize the identity of The Prankster.

* * *

The Prankster knelt at the floor of the hallways and peered at the floor. It was now able to see the thin wires delicately set up before it. Nice try, Sega. The Prankster stood up, judged the length of the hallway, and pulled out a boomerang. It gave it a flip in its hand, then hurled it near the floor. The boomerang sped along, cutting the wires and causing the robots to fall from the ceiling. The Prankster stood patiently, waiting for all the lines to be cut. The robots prepared to attack, but the boomerang returned and sliced them, destroying the robots on its way back to its owner. The Prankster grabbed the boomerang and put it away, walking past the rubble calmly as it headed to the room.

* * *

The group stared at the screen in shock. They couldn't believe their eyes. The trap hadn't worked!

"He cut them! That brat cut the wires and destroyed the robots in one shot!" Sonic exclaimed, "How'd he do that?!"

"The Prankster's had training to deal with things like that." Mario muttered darkly.

"He's coming this way! Quick! Everybody hide! When he comes in, jump him!" Peach declared and everyone scattered to hide and wait for the ambush.

* * *

The Prankster entered the Master Control and stopped. There was someone else in the room. Several someones. The Prankster heard breathing, soft, as if the people were trying to stay quiet. It smiled. What idiots, as if anyone could be as quiet as The Prankster. It stood there at the door, listening to the breathing and thinking. Then it shrugged and walked to the back of the room. All around the trickster, the Allstars watched and waited. They wanted to get the culprit, but they also wanted to see what its final prank would be. It was something they were curious about.

The Prankster stopped at one computer and looked down at the pad of numbers and Greek letters in confusion. Could it remember the code by numbers and letter, or was it still stuck with sounds? The Prankster combed its memory, but the code wasn't easily recalled. It sighed, it did music better than number codes, curse that pirate.

"_Doh dai di dee doo._" The Prankster sang softly and pressed the keys whose sounds matched the notes. DK's access code was accepted and The Prankster was in the Master Computer. It turned and began to drag a chair over to the computer, then climbed on. It reached up to the control keys and quickly typed in a command. Suddenly, alarms began to go off all around and flashing red lights lit up the darkness of the base computer.

"_Alert! Alert! Energy regulation systems deactivated! Implosion commencing in ten minutes! Evacuate Nintendo compound! Alert! Alert!_" the computers all screamed as the Allstars and Sonic shrieked. This wasn't a prank! The Prankster was setting off a giant bomb to destroy Nintendo!!

"Stop him!" DK yelled and charged. The Prankster typed in another few keys, then leaped over the oncoming ape. It hit the ground and raced out of room in a burst of speed that seemed almost remarkable for someone its size. "He's getting away!"

"Sonic! Get after him! Mario! We've got to reactivate the Core fuel system! If we don't, we'll all lose life energy and the Core will implode from an energy overload!" Peach cried and rushed to the computer. She put in her access code. The computer rejected it. "NO! He's locked this system, too!" she screamed. The Allstars raced to catch up to Sonic and The Prankster.

* * *

All around Nintendo, characters were in a panic and chaos spread. The system was going to explode! Nintendo was going down! The Prankster has struck again! The Allstars couldn't stop him! Everyone began to grab things to escape. Only eight minutes left!

"Get up! Grab your things! Hurry! We have to get out of here!" GB Link yelled at the characters in the Zeldas' living area. The princesses and elves scrambled to pack up and leave.

"Don't forget Advance Link!" N64 Navi cried as she flew off to the infirmary and see what would happen to her Allstar partner. NES Link stopped and raced to the little elf's room.

"Advance Link! Get up!" he yelled as he threw the door open. He gasped in shock.

Advance Link's bed was empty.

* * *

"Move, move! Get going! That no good grandson of mine loused up! I should have known better than to let him go gallivanting around like some self-made hero!" Cranky barked as the Kongs scurried to get away. Dixie and Diddy ran to get Tiny up and on her feet but stopped dead in their tracks when they entered her room.

The littlest Kong was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Sonic ran as fast as he could but, somehow, The Prankster managed to stay ahead of him. The other characters had split up and gone to separate halls in an attempt to surround the trickster. Finally, with only five minutes to go, The Prankster came to a screeching halt at a dead end. The other halls were blocked by the other Allstars. They all glared angrily at The Prankster. The Prankster stood, back against the wall, looking around at the characters.

"Give it up, ya little runt!" DK snarled, "We've got you surrounded! There's no escape!"

"Give us the passwords to entering those systems so we can save Allstar Link and Nintendo! NOW!" Peach snapped. The Prankster shook his head, slightly crouched, as if about to run.

"Who are you?! Why are you doing this to Nintendo?!" Luigi demanded to know as GB Link and Candy Kong raced up to the group in a panic.

"Guys! Advance Link is gone!" GB Link cried.

"And so's Tiny! Where could our little Kong be?!" Candy wailed. Mario shot them a look.

"Tell me! What is missing from their rooms?" he ordered. Candy looked startled.

"Um, her copy of the Banana Cam and some of her weapons, like the Feather Bow and Orange Grenades?" she stammered in surprise.

"Some of the Oracle series items, the Harp of Ages and the Rod of Seasons." GB Link replied, confused. Mario gave them a grim look and turned to The Prankster.

"That confirms my worst fear." he muttered and shouted at The Prankster, "Prankster! Take off that hood! I know who you are now! I may be a plumber, but I have had my fair share of puzzles! I've figured out your identity! Show yourself to the world!"

The Prankster looked at Mario for a long time, leaving the group with only three minutes to stop the meltdown. After a moment, The Prankster sensed that Mario was telling the truth. He _did_ know The Prankster's identity. Straightening up defiantly, The Prankster pulled back the hood of the cloak and gown....


	7. Return of the Hand

Endgame

Everyone gasped in shock at the small figure before them, the one who glared back at them with cold eyes. Could it be? It was impossible! Who would ever have suspected this one? All along The Prankster had been hiding among them under the guise of innocent looks, innocent questions and beautiful music.

It can't be." GB Link whispered in shock. The Allstars blinked a few times to be sure they weren't just seeing things.

I knew you were a worthless, no-good elf-brat!" DK snarled. Advance Link grinned and held up an arm so his hand was above him. A flash of light erupted from him and he was out of The Prankster's robe and back in his own Kokiri tunic. "It was you all along!"

Surprise, surprise." Link murmured and laughed, "All those tricks I played were so much fun! And your pathetic traps couldn't stop me!"

How could you do this to us?!" Candy cried, "And where's Tiny?!" Link shrugged and looked down at the computer on his right arm.

How should I know? She keeps showing up to take a picture of me, but Zelda's Lullaby always puts her to sleep. Good thing I've been taking lessons from Allstar Link and Nayru." he replied, "Hmm, two minutes and sixty-five seconds to critical status." He glared at Mario. "And how did you figure out who I was? I had everyone else stumped, but you figured me out. Far too late, of course, but still...."

Things were beginning to come together after DK talked about you a bit." Mario answered, "The red stain was the first clue. It wasn't blood or paint, right? Well, the only other liquid it could be was red potion, and only Links can use red potion. Then there was the blur Peach talked about. Someone had to move fast and be small. Neither Sonic nor Shadow could be The Prankster, because, although they are fast, they didn't know where the Master Control was. Allstar Link, on the other hand, does know."

He talked about it while he was training me. He told me all he knew about it, but he didn't tell me his access code." Advance Link confirmed, nodding his head.

Only you and Allstar Link can be small and fast. Him with the Bunny Hood, and you with your Pegasus Seeds. But Allstar Link stayed adult by pulling the Master Key from the Keystone and leaving them like that. He can't use the Bunny Hood as an adult. You can use your seeds anytime." Mario went on, "The chairs being moved around; you can't reach the keys, so you pushed them around to stand on them. The metal piece came from your Magnetic Gloves."

I used the gloves' polarity to push the magnetic blades away from me so I could get past that defense. The Pegasus Seeds let me be fast enough to outrun the ceiling drop." Link revealed with a grin, "The blades chipped at my gloves. I didn't notice it until the next morning."

The code you stole from DK because you and Allstar Link never really liked him."

That was easy. I just listened for his keystrokes and memorized the sounds. Later, I used Allstar Link's number pad to recreate the code and wrote down the numbers and letter. I didn't have to be close to DK to get it, I was standing on the other side of the Kongs' living room and still heard it."

But you lost the code, which was written with the letters slanting left...."

I'm left-handed. Big whoop."

So you recreated the code as music and memorized that. I heard the sounds of music on the tape you didn't burn. The tapes you melted with Ember Seeds on your slingshot!"

I was in a rush that night. I had homework to finish up so I wasn't paying that much attention to the sounds around me."

The bits of nuts are from a seed you threw in to test the wall trap, and your Power Bracelet item lets you be strong enough to carry the Master Emerald!"

Never leave home without those two items, bracelet and seeds."

You fit past the Emerald of course, because you are small and thin. And we didn't hear sounds of you on the tape since you're so quiet."

I'm an elf, what can I say? I'm supposed to be small. And if I make noise, I won't be able to hear things so well." Link said with a grin.

_Two minutes thirty-six seconds to critical status._" the computers announced over the speaker system.

The pranks you played on the Allstars are still a mystery to me, though."

I'll explain those." Link replied, "My Like Like Ring turned me into a Like Like. I wandered around in Luigi's room, dripping slime. I hacked in using DK's code and tricking the computer into thinking I was DK visiting. My Scent Seeds took care of Peach, I never liked Donkey Kong, so bleaching him was a pleasure. And I know about what Allstar Link did with your clothes, so I just added a twist to his prank."

But all you did was scribble a drawing and put it on his door. You didn't actually do anything to him." Peach pointed out, miffed. Link nodded.

He's my friend. I look up to him. A drawing is good enough and it won't hurt him that much." Link replied.

But erasing his Triforce did." GB Link snarled.

You were able to take the Master Sword from the stone. Only Allstar Link can pull it out, or so we thought. We had forgotten about your jointed games." Mario continued darkly. Link laughed.

Right! In each _Oracle_ game on its own, I can only use normal swords. But, connect the games through the password system, and the Master Sword becomes _mine_ to hold as well as Allstar Link's! You had the thing reprogrammed to be held by him _and_ me!" he declared.

The sword's hilt was on the left when you stuck it in the walls...."

Held by a left-handed master...."

And my secret tape was burned...."

I hear better than Pikachu, so I was able to pick it up that time."

And you attacked DK's games the most and hardly touched the Zelda games!"

I never liked him, and I'm a little partial to Zelda games." Link murmured, "I think it's obvious as to why."

Only a Link would have those qualities! You used a boomerang! A Link item! You could outrun Sonic with those Pegasus Seeds! An Oracle series item!" Mario cried, "And the pit! Your Switchhook could cross it! That's why you took the Jiggy and left it on the side of the pit you wanted to get to!"

I threw the Jiggy across with my Power Bracelet on, hooked it and switched places with it. The Jiggy was at the beginning of the pit, and I was on the other side. When I returned, I hooked it again. We switched places, me on the side of the pit where I started and the Jiggy on the side closest to the Master Control." Link explained, "Switcheroo comes in handy."

_One minute, eighty seconds to critical status._" the computers went on.

And Tiny said you kept playing the same five note song over and over, a song that didn't make sense!" Candy exclaimed.

That's the musical version of DK's code. I had to keep playing it or I would forget the sounds completely." Link agreed.

What I can't understand is why you were doing all this." Mario finished, "Why, Link? Why are you so determined to destroy us? To kill Allstar Link?" Advance Link looked angry.

I did it to spare him from utter humiliation!" he declared hotly, "He told me how you treated him as a rookie, and I swore I'd get you all back for it! Then one day, a voice came to me and told me that the best way to get you to stop what you were planning was to ruin your games and make you all look stupid, too!"

What do you mean, what we were planning? What does Allstar Link have to do with your pranks?" Peach yelled.

I saw the designs for the new Zelda game on GameCube! You were going to convert Allstar Link into that tiny cartoon! He'd look like something out of a really bad Japanese comic book!" Link shouted back, "I was going to make sure that never happened! If he dies now, you can never make him into that ugly little thing!"

But that doesn't give you the right to do this to our games!" GB Link yelled, "That's how Nintendo works! We come up with new things, no matter how bizarre or ugly-looking, and we see how the Players like it. When Allstar Link was first introduced, Players thought he was strange and weird-looking because he didn't look like me and the other Links, but they grew to like him and accepted him! That's why we put his design into you! Now we're going to make another new Link and who knows? Maybe the Players will love him as much as they love us and you blonde Links!"

They liked him and us _because_ of our looks! If you diminish his looks to that puny little character, you'll lose the Players!" Advance Link argued.

Looks don't matter! Not anymore! It was the gameplay that made the Players love him. He brought them great games and the Players loved him for that!" GB Link snapped. The little elf glaring at them was crying, angry tears running down his face.

The voice told me that I could make you change your minds by threatening the system. I could make you change the design in exchange for saving Nintendo." he growled between sobs.

We can't change the program design. It's too late." Luigi told him.

_One minute, thirty seconds to critical status._" the computers reported.

Then Nintendo's going up in flames! I won't give you the passwords to the Zelda program or the Master Computer!" Link snapped and held onto the knapsack's straps tightly. "We'll all go down the way we are."

You don't have to do this! There is another way!" Mario suddenly shouted. Everyone looked at him. "We'll delay Zelda's launch." he said calmly.

What good will that do him?! Link will still look ugly!" Advance Link snapped. Mario shook his head.

Not necessarily. I have an idea. Crazy, but it might work out. Link will still be upgraded, but only to the Smash Brothers Sequel design. He keeps his normal looks from the _Ocarina_ and _Majora's Mask_ games, but he'll be enhanced. If we delay the Zelda game until sometime next year, it will give us time to build a second Link and have him take on the design for the game." Mario decided, "We'll have two GC Links, Allstar Link and the WindWaker Link. Will you stop the meltdown if we did that instead?" Link looked at him warily, blinking back tears.

Make another Link to take the looks?" he echoed. Mario nodded. The elf thought about it and finally spoke softly. "Can I help train him?" he asked in a hesitant voice.

Both you and Allstar Link can train him together. He'll be the third blonde Link." Mario agreed with a nod. Link thought about it some more and sniffed, then rubbed his tears away.

Okay." he sighed in defeat, "The password to Zelda's program is...." he shot GB Link a venomous look, "'traitor'."

_Ninety seconds to critical status._" the computers continued to keep them up to date.

And the Master Computer?" Mario pressed him. Advance Link swallowed.

The password to that system is...." he was about to say when a sudden clap of thunder sounded in the area. A huge hand dropped down behind Advance Link, who looked up and back in surprise.

Supreme Tournament!" a voice laughed and the hand wiggled its fingers at the group. "As in the tournament all of you will be participating in! Come, Nintendo Fighters! Come back to the Realm of Neutrality and face me! Our plans for you aren't done yet!"

That's the voice who told me to do the pranks!" Advance Link exclaimed.

Is that Master Hand?!" Mario cried in horror. The hand wiggled some more. "It's impossible! You're dead!"

Believe what you want, Allstars! Now, come back to Neutrality and face me, or I'll take possession of your new games and use them to invade the Realm of Humanity!" the voice went on, laughing.

You can't do anything to us! You have no powers here in our world!" Luigi snapped.

_Eighty seconds to critical status._" the computers said.

I'll make sure you come! My new fighters are stealing characters as we speak. There! We have a few new hostages in our dungeons now! Come and get them, if you dare!" the voice laughed, "And just to be sure you really do come, I'll take my little puppet with me!" The hand grabbed Advance Link and slammed into the floor. Clouds of dust spread from the site as the elf cried in pain.

You can't do that! Stop it! Give them back to us!" Mario exclaimed as the dust cleared. The giant hand lifted from the floor towards a dark portal in the ceiling. Lying limply in its palm was Advance Link, eyes closed and one arm hanging out between two giant fingers as if reaching for the Allstars. The hand vanished into the portal, taking the little elf and several other Nintendo characters into a parallel dimension.

See you in Neutrality, Allstars!" the voice taunted, "That is, if you have the courage to face me there! Ha, ha, ha, ha!" The portal dropped a small device onto the floor. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, the portal and voice were gone.

_Seventy seconds to critical status._" the computers reminded the Allstars. Nintendo was still in a dire situation.

Sonic! Get the codes to the computers and put them in! NOW!" Mario barked. The hedgehog jumped and raced away. In a few seconds, the alarms stopped.

_Energy regulation systems reactivated. Nintendo Power Core stabilizing."_ the computers announced. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, then began to chatter about what had just happened. The halls were too crowded to talk, so they headed to the main area of the Nintendo base to continue. Game characters from different areas also attended, but there were some game characters missing such as N64 Jigglypuff from the _Pokémon Stadium 2 _game.

What do we do? We don't know how to get to the Realm of Neutrality!" DK exclaimed amid the chatter of people. Luigi held the device he had picked up out to his brother.

I bet this is a transporter of some kind. It's designed to attach to our transport portals. If we hook it up to one of them, I'm sure it'll make the portal go to the realm." he said. Mario nodded.

It will. Call that a gut feeling." he replied and looked to DK. "Donkey Kong, we're going to need the other fighters. The seven of us will go and fight this new mystery guy." he ordered.

Seven?" DK echoed.

Link's too weak to go with us. He should stay here." Mario clarified.

No, I'm not." Allstar Link suddenly said. The group looked down and saw him coming through the crowd to face them. "I'm a little out of it, but I can still fight. And this new threat kidnapped my trainee. I want him back. This is personal now." the elf growled darkly.

If he goes, then I go, too." N64 Zelda put in and gave Mario a look that dared him to tell her 'no'. Advance Zelda peeked around her.

If she goes, then I go, too." she declared. Peach demanded the same. Soon, various other characters began to announce their intentions of entering the contest. Mario called for order.

All right! I'll pick which characters will come with us to fight this new threat!" he declared, "Everyone, go to bed and we'll continue this in the morning! I'll have a decision on who goes by then!" The crowd began to clear away little by little as Mario spoke to the two Zeldas. "There can't be two Zeldas with us. The tournament won't accept doubles of one character. The last one didn't." he told them. Both were still determined to go.

Then I'll go as Sheik instead of myself and Advance Zelda will enter as herself!" N64 Zelda declared and looked at Allstar Link worriedly. "I can't let you go out there alone, Link. I'd go crazy with worrying over how you would be."

I don't want you to go, Zelda. What if you get taken down? You could wind up a brainwashed prisoner!" the elfin warrior exclaimed.

I can take care of myself. You go and get some rest. You can't fight if you look like you're about to become cross-eyed." she reprimanded him gently and led the fighter away. Mario watched them and the younger Zelda leave and turned to Final Sonic.

You'll be fighting with us, right?" he asked him. The hedgehog shook his head.

This guy wants Nintendo fighters. I'm Sega. He'll throw me out of the tournament. But while you guys are gone, I can help guard this base. I'll even call in a few other friends to help us out." Sonic replied and held out a hand to him, "Mario, Luigi, good luck. This fight not only feels serious, but it also feels necessary. Like, this is something that has to happen." he murmured.

Thanks for the luck." Mario replied, shaking his hand, "And something tells me you may be right about this." The two of them nodded grimly, then looked out at the distance, as if able to see some strange other world right where they stood.

The Master Tournament had been only the beginning....

The End?

End Part One


End file.
